Survey: What is your Oolite playing style?

[USR72]

I just run around Industrial and Agricultural planets, mostly between Tionsla and Isinor, for trading [and safety, a pulse laser and ECM is the only thing I have], don't know if it actually makes me money.

maybe run around Bemaera to kill idiot pirates with no ECM system.


In summary, I have no idea what I'm doing.

[help me]

[Cholmondely]

I just run around Industrial and Agricultural planets, mostly between Tionsla and Isinor, for trading [and safety, a pulse laser and ECM is the only thing I have], don't know if it actually makes me money.

maybe run around Bemaera to kill idiot pirates with no ECM system.


In summary, I have no idea what I'm doing.

[help me]

So I do the same. Lave -> Zaonce -> Isinor <->Tionisla (with detours to Qutiri once I have partially equipped my Cobra - the profit margin is usually bigger there than in Isinor). Once I have beam lasers, energy grid (OXP) and EEU I then bounce between Ensoreus and Ararus.

But I have lots of OXPs.

These include

Weapon Laws (makes weapons more difficult to buy in safe systems, so I can only buy beam lasers in Qutiri, a less safe system) - I like the realism of this one, and the way that it makes equipping my ship more of a nail-biting adventure! I use an older, more restrictive version.
Risky Business & Risk Based Economy (which improve the profit margin in the more dangerous systems - eg anarchic Ararus)
Energy Grid (increases the energy flow from the capacitors to the shields)
Target Autolock (because I can't hit a barn door from three inches distance)



Trading
There are a number of OXPs which make the trading more interesting - see Oolite Trading and Economics for some comparisons

Adding in Market Observer will tell you if you are making money. This OXP is a must. There is also the Ship's Accountant OXP if you are a devotee of double-entry bookkeeping!

New Cargoes and Smugglers make things more complicated and realistic.



Is there any more particular help we can give?



_____________________________________________________________________________________
F8 screen in Vanilla game:



F8 screen with Market Observer and Xenon UI



New commodities (Medicine, Fresh Water, Oxygen) thanks to SWEconomy, HUD hidden thanks to Docked HUDs (but some HUDs do this for you, eg. Vimana-X HUD).

[USR72]

So I do the same. Lave -> Zaonce -> Isinor <->Tionisla (with detours to Qutiri once I have partially equipped my Cobra - the profit margin is usually bigger there than in Isinor). Once I have beam lasers, energy grid (OXP) and EEU I then bounce between Ensoreus and Ararus.

But I have lots of OXPs.

These include

Weapon Laws (makes weapons more difficult to buy in safe systems, so I can only buy beam lasers in Qutiri, a less safe system) - I like the realism of this one, and the way that it makes equipping my ship more of a nail-biting adventure! I use an older, more restrictive version.
Risky Business & Risk Based Economy (which improve the profit margin in the more dangerous systems - eg anarchic Ararus)
Energy Grid (increases the energy flow from the capacitors to the shields)
Target Autolock (because I can't hit a barn door from three inches distance)



Trading
There are a number of OXPs which make the trading more interesting - see Oolite Trading and Economics for some comparisons

Adding in Market Observer will tell you if you are making money. This OXP is a must. There is also the Ship's Accountant OXP if you are a devotee of double-entry bookkeeping!

New Cargoes and Smugglers make things more complicated and realistic.



Is there any more particular help we can give?

Hmm, I'm a bit cautious about Lave, I've been attacks by pirates are a bit more frequent, not that they're good at fighting, but because they use up all of my missiles. Is there anyway to give me more pylon space?

Thanks for the links and addons!

[Cholmondely]

So I do the same. Lave -> Zaonce -> Isinor <->Tionisla (with detours to Qutiri once I have partially equipped my Cobra - the profit margin is usually bigger there than in Isinor). Once I have beam lasers, energy grid (OXP) and EEU I then bounce between Ensoreus and Ararus.

But I have lots of OXPs.

These include

Weapon Laws (makes weapons more difficult to buy in safe systems, so I can only buy beam lasers in Qutiri, a less safe system) - I like the realism of this one, and the way that it makes equipping my ship more of a nail-biting adventure! I use an older, more restrictive version.
Risky Business & Risk Based Economy (which improve the profit margin in the more dangerous systems - eg anarchic Ararus)
Energy Grid (increases the energy flow from the capacitors to the shields)
Target Autolock (because I can't hit a barn door from three inches distance)



Trading
There are a number of OXPs which make the trading more interesting - see Oolite Trading and Economics for some comparisons

Adding in Market Observer will tell you if you are making money. This OXP is a must. There is also the Ship's Accountant OXP if you are a devotee of double-entry bookkeeping!

New Cargoes and Smugglers make things more complicated and realistic.



Is there any more particular help we can give?

Hmm, I'm a bit cautious about Lave, I've been attacks by pirates are a bit more frequent, not that they're good at fighting, but because they use up all of my missiles. Is there anyway to give me more pylon space?

Thanks for the links and addons!

Sorry - the arrow was meant to indicate that on starting the game at Lave I then move to Zaonce and then onto the Isinor<>Tionisla milk run.

APRIL provides a missile loader which feeds off a stock of hoarded missiles. Or you can tweak your save file. Or try some of the “split missiles” (missile racks) and the missile machine in Armoury OXP

[gilhad]

I usually start with Normal setting, or with some harder (like Broke Adder), then I avoid all problems, shoot Asteroids (each Cr counts) and when possible I trade until I have full Cargo Bay of Computers/Furs and 400+ Cr, then I buy Large Cargo Bay and slowly buy the most basic equipment (while maintaining Cargo full) - Ejectors, Docking Computers (for saving time, I normally land at full speed without problems, but the way to station takes long ), Targeting (rectangle, IFF, ASC, long travel planning), Beam Laser, ECM, Extra Energy and finally Military laser (Which marks the end of weak rabbit era. Welcome growing traveling trader era.) (Usually at this point I am still Harmless.)

At that point I am able to somehow fight and I can make more money, so I am starting to explore more, do also less profitable tasks (RRS, Parcels, Passengers, ...) while still trading as much as I can (also I buy Gold/Platinum/Gem-Stones when they are cheaper then +1Cr and sell when more than +2Cr) and buy all other equipment, until I have basicly all buyable and few 100k Cr over. (In case of hard starts I buy ships up to Cobra Mk III on the way.)

And when I am finally rich and equiped, there came era of exploration. I do missions, try to hit all planets in Galaxy, maybe buy some interesting ship, get Elite class, and such. I do Random Hits for some fun and trade is not much needed, as money are not problem and more or less millions Cr efects nothing at all.
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I try some OXP combinations, some from start to point, where I see how I would hit era 2, or in era 3 to see, what they offers on larger scale. Ususally I just try some OXP in copy of some my ship, them if I love it, I add it to my collection of what the "real oolite world" is like.

I like extensions, which add a lot of color (like RRS) or which helps me a little, for a price (like Telescope), but usually I do not like extensions, which hust do life harder (often in name of "realistic" - I play this to leave real world for some time) or which are blatlant cheats. (I often refrain from using Hunting Logue in Feudal States, as when I go there with (new) Military Laser and 1.000Cr, I get like 40.000 Cr in a few minutes and it is repeatable (with more than 100.000Cr yield each time). )

Basically I like it, when I have some goals, which a realistically obtanable soon (but not "just now") and some other for far reach, but when the steps forward such goals are visible. (Explorer's Club with 8x256 planets to see, but every one is immediately visually marked as visited, when I land there is good example )